Georgia Southern University experimented with extreme programming for its introductory programming course in order to gauge its effect on the learning environments of the class. Three sections of the introductory programming course adopted extreme programming, and one course was run "with partial adherence to XP practices". Fourteen sections of the introductory programming course were run without extreme programming practices as a baseline.

The study found that 60-75% of the students rated using extreme programming as a "very positive" experience. Additionally, there were improvements in students' grades in both the top and bottom of grade scale; there was an decrease in withdrawals and fails from 50-70% in the baseline sections to 15-40% withdrawals and fails in the extreme programming sections. In addition, the percentage of A's and B's given in the sections rose from 20% in the baseline sections to 40-50% in the extreme programming sections.